[Zygonyx]

....he repeats to selected people (less and less selected, actually ) what he has been told by people from Ricoh Imaging Europe: the tentative RRP of K-1 (between €1,999 and €2,199), the number of 24x36 lenses to be launched or announced in 2016 to go with the K-1 (around ten, probably including the 70-200mm f/2.8) and more. Take it with a grain of salt (manipulation is inherent to any 'interested' communication) but it should be close to the truth; time will tell.

As for beta tests, they are probably done by Japanese people under close scrutiny from Ricoh Imaging Japan, hence the lack of communication channels between them and ourselves.

Did he repeat it to you ?
That is at least 3 more lenses as Asahiman wrote...

[reh321]

I Wonder why some people obstinately write 70-210.
please, update

I don't understand this comment (copying what you are responding to would have been a good start)

[Zygonyx]

post updated too.

[Mistral75]

Did he repeat it to you ?

No, to somebody I trust. He doesn't know me that well. Even if he did, I am only a potential client with limited prescriptive power, hence of low interest to him. Other people are much more important to entice, considering the amount of sales they can trigger.

[monochrome]

I was told this should include a lot of high-end lenses: revamped versions of the three amigos / princesses, a 85mm f/1.4 and an ultra-fast 50ish.

I'll hold the bag. You can chase the cat.

[monochrome]

I Wonder why some people obstinately write 70-210.
please, update

B&H, the large USA mail-order and B&M Dealer, obstinately list availability as February, 2016.

Perhaps EU ship date is earlier than USA ship date. Wouldn't be the first time.

[Mistral75]

(...)
That is at least 3 more lenses as Asahiman wrote...

asahi man said 5 prime lenses should be announced in 2016. "Revamped versions of the three amigos / princesses, a 85mm f/1.4 and an ultra-fast 50ish" fits the bill. Add the D FA★ 70-200mm f/2.8 ED DC AW, the "D FA Large diameter wide zoom" and the "D FA Standard zoom" and that makes eight. The couple of remaining lenses could well be additional revamped or rebranded lenses OR lenses other than 24x36 lenses if the number ten applies to the total number of lenses announced by Ricoh Imaging in 2016 (think "DA Wide zoom" and/or 645 lens or Q lens)..

[bertwert]

Add the D FA★ 70-200mm f/2.8 ED DC AW, the "D FA Large diameter wide zoom" and the "D FA Standard zoom"

These three are already announced...
I know people already have the 150-450 and the 24-70, they just don't have the 70-200 yet.

[Matthew Saville]

asahi man said 5 prime lenses should be announced in 2016. "Revamped versions of the three amigos / princesses, a 85mm f/1.4 and an ultra-fast 50ish" fits the bill. Add the D FA★ 70-200mm f/2.8 ED DC AW, the "D FA Large diameter wide zoom" and the "D FA Standard zoom" and that makes eight. The couple of remaining lenses could well be additional revamped or rebranded lenses.

I hope they maintain the ultra-light trio of screw-drive Limiteds, that's one of the delightful things I appreciate about Pentax; I know others may talk about "balance" and say they like a gigantic hunk of glass like the Canon 50 1.2 L or 85 1.2 L, but personally I like as much of the weight as possible to be in the body; it is easier on my wrist and easier overall to get through a long wedding day or portrait session.

Having said that, having some "big honkin bokeh monsters" is still nice, for those folks who need it. I like my 50-85mm range to be lighter weight, but I don't mind a super-fast ~35mm that can shoot full-body family portraits and yet still "destroy" the background a little bit. It's a very unique look.


=Matt=

[Mistral75]

These three are already announced...
I know people already have the 150-450 and the 24-70, they just don't have the 70-200 yet.

Nope. The D FA★ 70-200mm f/2.8 ED DC AW was announced back in February but won't be available till the announcement of K-1, one year after its first announcement, therefore I suspect people count it among the ten.

The "D FA Large diameter wide zoom" has nothing to do with the Pentax-rebranded Tamron 24-70mm f/2.8 nor with the D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6. As its name witnesses, it's a fast wide zoom. kenspo suggested here it could be a Pentax-rebranded Tamron 15-30mm f/2.8.

Similarly, the "D FA Standard zoom" has nothing to do with the rebranded Tamron 24-70mm f/2.8 a.k.a. D FA 24-70 mm f/2,8 ED SDM WR (formerly designated by "D FA Large diameter standard zoom" on the roadmap): it's a kit lens, a 28-105mm f/3.5-5.6.

[bertwert]

Okay you're right...
The 70-200 was still announced.

[Zygonyx]

Btw, 10 is the actual number of FA/DFA existing lenses in Pentax's catalog... let's hope there is no confusion on that

[Mistral75]

Btw, 10 is the actual number of FA/DFA existing lenses in Pentax's catalog... let's hope there is no confusion on that

Since you have to include such old-timers as the FA 35mm f/2 and FA 50mm f/1.4 to arrive at ten, I don't think there could have been a confusion here.

[philbaum]

This is somewhat off topic, but real FF news is pretty scarce, so I'll follow your lead.

A: Agree with this, my wife only brings out her point & shoot for vacations, family reunions and Christmas morning, everything else is recorded with her phone. She is the last P&S user that I know personally. The other camera owners I know treat it like a hobby and don't bring their equipment along unless they intend to dedicate time to taking pictures. Even my son, who can't afford car insurance because he ran up his credit card buying photographic equipment and who would like nothing better than to become a professional photojournalist, uses his smartphone for all his "social" photography.

B: There is a market for "fine art" photography, but it seems to be primarily as part of gallery/framing/art boutiques, and realistically, other than a few "known" artists, anyone, anywhere could be producing the art that the customers of these boutiques are buying as home decor. A proverbial "sweat shop in Vietnam" could flood the market if run by someone who understands this market. The stock photo market is already oversupplied with content and almost all of it is warehoused by a very small number of distributors/agencies. Which doesn't auger well for someone hoping to make a living doing this. Event (mainly weddings) and portrait photography is the only growth market left out there. Barriers to entry for new "professionals" are very low, but it is a service industry, so higher quality professionals should be able to thrive doing this. It's the main reason Pentax hit a home run with the 645Z, in the past a photographer might differentiate herself from the competition by using a Hasselblad, now there is digital MF for less than the price of a new car.

C: Don't belong to one, but the local paper ran a feature on the 50th or 75th anniversary of the local club and there was a comment that current membership is well below what it had been in the past. Not just photography clubs are suffering, service clubs have been in decline for a couple of decades as well and the net result of social media is that people socialize in person less and less.

D: Professional level equipment is priced within reach of hobbyists and hobby photographers are in it for the experience, part of which is the feel of holding a camera, using a viewfinder and building a collection of lenses and accessories. Give it five years (or less), no one will know what a Light 16 was. The hobby market isn't threatened by new ways to take photographs, it is only threatened by people dropping photography as a hobby and the rest of the world is happy enough with the free camera that came with their smartphone they aren't going to spend money to buy a new type of camera.

Your A, B, and C answers are strong, but i think D, is weak.

hobby photographers are in it for the experience, part of which is the feel of holding a camera, ...and building a collection of lenses and accessories Not for me. For whatever crazy reason, i decided to make photos to sell at craft fairs. 9 years later, i sell photos out of a gallery and enjoy the sociability of photo club members and gallery artists.

five years (or less), no one will know what a Light 16 was you could be right but I think thats unlikely on this invention. China has already paid the inventors 30-40 million about to license the technology for their country. After the devastation :-) that the smart phone had the camera market, i would not rule out any new technology. i get this feeling that there is something new around the corner that will turn traditional hardware upside down - so to speak. Ricoh's Theta camera is another example. Dang inventors

they aren't going to spend money to buy a new type of camera They already have. Mirrorless but with interchangeable lenses is a new type of camera and it now owns 25% of the ILC market. Amazing accomplishment in a down-market.

Thanks for your comments - i appreciate the discussion!

[RonHendriks1966]

I think the Samsung decision was a good one for the company and the industry. Its taken Sony a lot of effort to get the traction in the marketplace they have today. Fewer suppliers makes things better for the remaining companies. But in general, i think the photographic industry is built on "shifting sand" at the moment - for 4 reasons:

A. Smart phone camera technology provide all most people need to take pictures of their vacations, family and friends.

B. Prices for "fine art" photographs seems slow and iffy to me. There's so much photography on the market, the value is in the prep, not in the images. Income from stock photo sites, probably is not outstanding considering the supply. The wedding and portrait professionals are probably doing OK - i don't know.

C. Photography clubs are a place where photographers can share, discuss and enjoy the images. At least in my area, they are mostly in decline. A few in higher population areas still seem to be doing ok.

D. Newer technology may threaten traditional photography hardware prices. I'm thinking Light 16 types of inventions - although they have yet to produce a camera for sale. Light's 16-Lens Pocket-Sized L16 Camera Aims To Replace Your Bulky DSLR.

Not sure if i'm correct in my conclusions, thought i would throw it out there.

And it's not going good in journalism where there is less money for images. There is more Demand for video, but that is a different job.

---------- Post added 26-11-15 at 10:05 ----------

This is the reason why he repeats to selected people (less and less selected, actually ) what he has been told by people from Ricoh Imaging Europe: the tentative RRP of K-1 (between €1,999 and €2,199), the number of 24x36 lenses to be launched or announced in 2016 to go with the K-1 (around ten, probably including the 70-200mm f/2.8) and more.

10 lenses........

150-40mm, 24-70mm, 15-300mm (from tamron), 300mm, 200 mm, 31mm, 43mm, 55mm, 77mm, 100mm macro,

No problem. HD coating for the three amigo's and maybe a refresh for the da*lenses.